I’m starting up a new series of posts here on the blog. As a Kindle Vella author myself, I want to give other Kindle Vella authors a platform to share their experiences and about their stories.
My guest today is Stella Ann George, author of Note by Note on Kindle Vella. You can also find her on her website and on Twitter!
Kindle Vella Author Interview: Stella Ann George
What do you write on Kindle Vella and is it ongoing or completed?
Stella: I’m writing a romantic suspense serial called Note by Note. It began as a romance and morphed into a romantic suspense story with art and music as the keys to solving the mystery. I rarely see romance and suspense stories that involve music as a catalyst for the story. Being a piano teacher myself, I thought it would be interesting. This is the first story I have sent out there in the universe, so it seemed natural to write what I know. But I also did a lot of research for the rest. I based it in Australia because, well, I love Australia. 🙂 I visited there many years ago and have always wanted to go back.
The story is ongoing. I am updating it Tuesdays and Fridays. I am trying to stay far enough ahead that I can keep the schedule and begin writing a sequel.
Here is the blurb:
For Finn Cooper, being a billionaire has the usual perks, especially when he is surrounded by beautiful women. However, allowing those women into his private world always sets him up for heartbreak. But when the plane he is piloting crashes, an independent and capable woman leaves him questioning all he thought he knew about love
For Jessica Turner, a fateful flight from Sydney to Tasmania turns her world upside down. Surviving in an isolated cabin with a well-known playboy is just the beginning of a journey that tosses the music teacher out of her safe secure life. Falling for his charm is easy; guarding her heart is another matter.
In a search for answers about their mysterious circumstances, Finn and Jessica find themselves in a dangerous world neither of them could have imagined. Staying one step ahead of deadly outside forces makes falling in love a little … complicated.
Note by Note by Stella Ann George
Some authors have shared that they are hesitant to commit to the Vella program because of Amazon’s past failures with programs like the Serials and Worldbuilders programs. Personally, I think there is a lot of room for growth in the program and I hope that Amazon keeps it going because I’m curious to see where it ends up. Did you share any of these hesitations when you decided to publish on Vella?
Stella: I was actually very excited when I heard about Vella. I knew about Serials and Worldbuilders and it’s a shame that they failed in the end. But serial writing has a huge following and I thought if Amazon were behind it, it could become very popular here in the States as it is in other parts of the world. And I thought maybe there would be an advantage to being in on the ground floor of a new Amazon venture. I’m usually too late to be on the ground floor of anything.
How has the experience been for you in terms of getting your book out there to reads and navigating the platform overall?
Stella: As far as navigating the platform, I find it relatively easy. There could be some improvements. Recently Amazon added a category of recently added stories which is a step in the right direction. I wish they could add a recently updated category as well. There are so many serials, that may be logistically a challenge, but it would help if readers knew which ones were being updated regularly.
Getting the book out there is a challenge. Authors who already had many readers and encouraged them to try Vella are ahead of the game. I was hoping it would have been more of a level playing field so that new authors could be seen and gain readership but that is not the case. I’m doing all I can with Twitter, Facebook, a blog and website, newsletter, etc.
Do you feel that the number of readers on your story has increased or decreased since launch?
Stella: It’s kind of a strange situation right now. Things have really slowed down but I do have a few readers who are reading all the way through the episodes that are posted. That’s a good thing. Finding new readers is the challenge.
Has the platform changed the way you write?
Stella: Not really. I have heard authors say that serial writing is totally different from novels. And that may be true. But since my story began as a serial, then morphed into a novel, and now is back to a serial, I actually feel more comfortable. It’s been relatively easy to divide my chapters up into shorter episodes and keep things interesting. Also, I think romantic suspense lends itself naturally to a lot of questions and hooks.
I plan on waiting to see how Kindle Vella does over the next several months. The key will be if it becomes available on Android and internationally. If it stays the way it is and new readers don’t materialize, I may upload all episodes over the next few weeks and publish as a novel to get my name out there more. The great thing is, we can still leave it in Vella and see what happens. Experienced authors say there are two different audiences for Vella and full novels. It doesn’t hurt to be able to tap into both.
I’m optimistic whatever happens and I’m glad that we have choices to try to find success as authors.
Thank you to Stella Ann George for answering my questions!
I think Stella is definitely onto something. Authors have been giving a really unique opportunity to get in on the ground floor here. Previously undiscovered authors have a new way to reach readers and we can’t fully judge where Kindle Vella is at until it is out of beta and available internationally.
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